bag-ley



(No Model.) 7 3 Sheets-Sheet. 1. G. J. BAGLEY & L. ROBERTS. FURNACE FOR HEATING SLABS No. 550,774. Patented Dec, 3,1895.

WiZEwsses:

(No Model!) 3 Sheets+Sheet 2.

G. J. BAGLEY 8; L. ROBERTS.

FURNACE FOR HEATING SLABS.

Patented Dec. 3, 1895.

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llNTTnn STATES PATENT Trice.

FURNACE FOR HEATING SLA BS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 550,774, dated December 3, 1895. Application filed July 2, 1894. Serial No. 51,6,345- (N model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

1 Be it known that we, CHARLES JOHN BAG- LEY and LLnwELYN Ronnnrs, subjects of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Stockton- 5 on-Tecs, in the county of Durham, England,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Means Employed for Heating or Reheating Slabs of Steel or Iron; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to the means employed for heating or reheating the flat and I 5 elongated pieces of steel or iron commonly known as slabs. It has hitherto been the practice to heat or reheat such slabs in'an ordinary heating-furnace, into which they are introduced above the ground level. Furnaces so constructed, although otherwise suitable, inasmuch as the slabs, which are laid on their sides with only one side properly exposed to the heat of the furnace, can nevertheless be turned over from time to time to heat both i sides uniformly, are wasteful of fuel, owing partly to the position of the slabs within the furnace and partly to loss of heat by radiation in consequence of the external walls being exposed to the open air. vWVe are aware that in order to avoid the loss of heatby radiation heating-chambers, commonly called soaking-pits, have been constructed below the ground level. These soaking-pits are especially adapted for the heating of steel ingets, which are readily lowered into the chambers and allowed to stand on end. Such pits, however, are found to be unsuitable for heating or reheating slabs, the shape of which is such that they are unable to stand on end without leaning against some support, with the result that much of the flame passing over the slabs is wasted and the slabs themselves are unequally heated. Besides this the arrangement leads to another inconvenience. When the slabs are to be removed from the pit, there is a difficulty in gripping them with the tongs or gripping appliances in consequence of their peculiar or leaning position.

Furthermore, the difficulty in using a furnace below the ground level is not to be obviated by simply laying the slabs on their sides, as in the ordinary furnace above ground, because the slabs cannot be handled and turned over from time to time in the manner required to heat both sides uniformly.

According to our invention, to enable heating or reheating furnaces to be sunk below the level of the ground the slabs of steel or iron are lowered through the roof and are deposited horizontally at the bottom of the fur- 6o nace on supports previously arranged in position so as to allow the currents of gas or flame to pass freely both under and over the surfaces of the slabs. In addition to this provision is made in each furnace for the reception of more than one slab at a time. A series of them may be stacked one on another horizontally and lowered, say two together, with parting-bricks inserted between them of the requisite thickness to form flame-passages between them in the manner required to cause the slabs to be equally and uniformly heated on both sides without being turned over or otherwise handled when lying in the furnace. 7 5

Having so far described the nature and utility of our invention, We will now proceed to further explain a convenient way of carrying it into efiect by reference to the drawings hereto annexed, which are to be taken as illus- 8o trating, .by way of example, aheating or reheating furnace constructed according to our invention, it being understood that we are not limited to the precise arrangement of internal chambers and passages shown, so long as the slabs can be deposited in suitable horizontal positions, as therein shown, and in consequence of which they are equally and uniformly exposed to the heat of the furnace and from which they can be readily raised by 0 tongs or the like lifting appliances.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a general plan of our furnace, whether used as a heating or reheating furnace; and Fig. 2, a longitudinal section taken on line a; x of 'Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are transverse sectional views taken on lines y y and z 2 respectively, of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, A. is the fuel-chamber, and B the combustion-chamber, with the bridge 0 extending between them across the furnae-e, so that only flame or highly-heated gases IOO come in contact with the slabs in chamber B.

D D are suitable outlets for the products of combustion, the heat of which is utilized or goes to waste, as the case may be.

E E are slag-chambers, into which the slag from the heating or reheating furnace is run and collected in suitable receptacles.

M are covers to place over the openings G to prevent the escape of the gas and flames from the furnace when the said openings are not in use. In these respects the furnace is of the ordinary construction, and the precise form or design indicated by the drawings is given for the purpose of illustration only; but in combination with these usual features of construction it will be observed that the slabs F F, which are lowered through openings G in the roof, are deposited in a horizontal position at the bottom of the furnace with the bottom slab supported at its ends on suitable elevations H, while the next slab above is supported on similar elevations II as well as on parting-bricks K, if such have been used in lowering the slabs into position, by which arrangement it will be seen that the slabs are not only uniformly exposed to the heat of the furnace, and so require no turning over from side to side, but the slabs by this means are so uniformly heated that any pitted marks on the plates are prevented, and the slabs can also be readily gripped by suitable lifting appliances, such as the tongs L, and raised, lowered, or held in suspension without difficulty, which lifting appliances are preferably placed and operated at the level of the furnace-roof. By this arrangement the furnace is adapted to be placed below the ground level, in which position it can be made to hold a heavier charge of slabs than any ordinary furnace above ground, and the amount of fuel consumed and labor required are reduced very considerably in consequence, added to which the loss of heat due to radiation is also obviated and a corresponding saving in fuel effected thereby.

Having now described our invention, what we wish to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is A furnace for heating or reheating slabs of iron or steel, consisting of a heating chamber arranged below the surface of the ground, and provided with a plurality of openings in the roof thereof, with means for closing said openings, and supports at the base of said chamber for the ends of the slab, the said supports being arranged in a series of steps, and being adapted to hold the said slabs separate from each other, a V-shaped trough-like bottom beneath said slabs to permit the passage of the products of combustion and facilitate the running down of the slag, with openings to per mit the escape of the slag, and a fuel chamber adapted to deliver its products of combustion 011 all sides of said slabs, in combination with means for lowering said slabs onto and removing them from, said heating chamber through said openings in the roof, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES JOHN BAGLEY. LLEWELYN ROBERTS.

Witnesses GEORGE J AMES GLARKsoN, EDWARD THOMAS ELCOAT. 

